Master Alloys and Alloying Additives

Master alloys and alloying additives are alloy-element concentrates, grain refiners, hardeners, deoxidants and other agents added to a melt or metal-powder blend to produce a particular alloy, modify a melt, or alter processing characteristics. A master alloy is a pre-alloyed concentrate or mixture of alloying elements such as the 60% vanadium / 40% aluminum alloy used for Ti-6Al-4V production. An alloying additive, agent or modifier is combined with a master alloy to impart additional specialized characteristics. Advancements in alloy technologies have led to the production of master alloys and alloying additives with greater corrosion resistance, strength, and density.

There are several common master alloys and alloying agents. Titanium alloys are based on titanium (Ti), a silver-gray metallic element that is stronger and lighter than steel. Vanadium alloys are based on vanadium (V), a hard metallic element that is both a powerful carbide stabilizer and reliable deoxidizer. Aluminum alloys are based on aluminum (Al), a lightweight, silver-weight metallic element that provides excellent oxidation resistance. Typically, alloying agents such as cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and nickel (Ni) are used to produce aluminum-based master alloys. Magnesium (Mg) and lithium (Li) are used to purify copper-based master alloys and alloying agents.

Master alloys and alloying agents are combined with many types of additives. Examples include deoxidants, killing agents, deoxidizers and deoxidizing agents; nodularizers and spheroidizers; desulfurizers and desulfurizing agents; nitrogen scavengers; grain refiners; hardeners and hardening agents; strengtheners and strengthening agents; austenitizers and austenite stabilizers; desensitizing agents and carbide stabilizers; ferrite stabilizers; nucleants, nucleating agents and grain refiners; and wetting agents.

Master alloys and alloying additives are designed to improve processes in metallurgy by refining the final properties of different metals. Agents and alloying elements are used as additions to modify or produce alloys in primary metal production melts, foundry melts, and powder metal-blend manufacturing. Alloying additives such as boron (B), cobalt (Co), zirconium (Zr) and chromium (Cr) are used to remove many of the impurities commonly produced in smelting and powder-based metallurgy. A custom alloy can be used for specialized applications.

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